Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/169755
HRO Today Forum APAC Figure 1: Talent2's Payroll Definition Payroll outsourcing was a suitable solution for Ericsson considering the company had zero process alignment in this region: Each individual country managed payroll by their own means. That meant some countries were handling payroll in-house, recording and managing resources on archaic spreadsheets, while others were leveraging expensive third-party expertise. A step towards process alignment was establishing an internal shared services centre in Manila, capital city of the Philippines. Howes said this central hub was for creating transparency around transactional activities, including generating employment contracts or changes in pay, and making sure they were all done in a centralised manner for the organisation. Varying labour and tax laws added to the complexity and a harbour for all activities was essential. "Our goal was to channel anything to do with payroll into that environment," Howes explained. The technology company—not surprisingly—wanted to leverage best-of-breed technology from a solution that could deliver cost reduction, risk management, and regulatory compliance. An internal team lead a global request for information in October 2010. There was an outreach for potential outsource payroll vendors that could support Ericsson globally and help the organisation meet all of its goals. Regional delivery was essential. The main list of potential providers was narrowed to four within the region. Each company presented in the Phillippines to the outreach team as well as payroll processors from Australia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. "We made sure that they got a first-hand touch and feel with the actual vendors and included them in that final decision-making process," recalled Howes. The company selected Talent2 as their provider and partner for payroll outsourcing. Provider's Snapshot Global General Manager of HR Managed Services for Talent2 Mary Sue Rogers joined Howes on stage to offer her perspective. Rogers has had her foot in the outsourcing industry for more than decade and understands that at the SUMMER 2013 | www.hroglobal.com [25]